A quirky take on wedding traditions allows you to infuse your love of all things vintage, glamorous and rock ‘n’ roll into your special day. The couple had a wedding to remember in 2015, getting married at a club they knew well from playing gigs there. On the first night they met, John and his future wife talked about their similar tastes in music and listened to their favourite bands together on an iPad. Having both played in bands and toured festivals, where they first met, a rock ‘n’ roll-themed wedding felt like the perfect way to celebrate their union.

Before the wedding

The rock ‘n’ roll theme started with the save-the-date notifications. A Ticketmaster style ticket was created with the couple’s names and the date. Once the reception venue had been confirmed, the invitations were sent out in the style of “VIP passes” together with a custom rock wedding flyer. On the day of the wedding, the flyers were blown up to posters like those used for gigs and placed in decorated tubes so that guests had some artwork to remember the rockin’ wedding.

The dress

And the dress… the most important detail for me as the bride. My ivory lace wedding dress in a flapper style from the 1920s had black and silver beading along the hip matched with a tiara of black and silver crystals. The ensemble was completed with the brightest red lipstick and pink hair. John was in top hat and tail coat and looked mighty fine! The boutonnieres had guitar picks in them. The bride’s bouquet of silver sprayed roses also included a guitar pick with the couple’s names and the date of the wedding.

The ceremony

The celebrant was amazing in helping to create a ceremony that felt honest and authentic. Instead of readings, the band members performed songs that were meaningful to the couple during the ceremony. Their mothers were the ring bearers, their brothers the witnesses and the bride’s closest friend the Maid of Honour. The couple kept with tradition with their vows, promising affection (“love, comfort, keep”), faithfulness (“forsaking all others”), unconditionality (“for richer or for poorer”, “in sickness and in health”), and permanence (“as long as we both shall live”, “until death do us part”).

The reception

Each table had an album cover instead of a table number which got the conversation flowing between those who hadn’t met yet. The table centre-pieces were silver branches from which old 45 record discs were hung. Instead of a wedding cake, there were pyramids of doughnuts filled with jam, chocolate or custard. Along with canapes, these were good fuel for all the dancing later. After dinner, the reception kicked off with Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock n’ Roll.” The playlist included a soundtrack of Foo Fighters, Michael Jackson, Nirvana, AC/DC, Queen, Bowie, Nick Cave, and Blondie. With some inflatable guitars, friends and family flooded the dance floor. The playlist for the night had been very carefully put together and covered classic rock, motown, grunge, ’90s pop, and everything in between.

Photographs

Photographs were taken earlier in the day before the ceremony. The couple wanted time together before the ceremony as it was unlikely they would have time alone afterwards. Whilst some members of the family were disappointed not to witness John’s reaction to the bride’s dress, the couple enjoyed some time out walking with the best man and Maid of Honour. It was calming, fun and joyous. The photographer caught beautiful moments throughout the day: of family, friends, mad dancing and romantic moments too. For the wedding, the couple wanted to be surrounded by the people they loved, enjoying themselves with great food and dancing the night away. And it worked. It was wonderful.